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Expanded Online Community Features

Posted September 6th, 2008 by GreenOne

I think the Seventh Generation online members community could feature ways for members to send messages to each other or automated e-mails when another member replies to a topic that you've posted. This might make the overall website and in particular the member community more "sticky" so that people come back and visit more and provide more responses in the forums. Some of the other online communities devoted to environmental concerns seem to lack the aesthetic appeal of the Seventh Generation website, so an expanded community here would be great. And you already know that you're communicating with people who are - for lack of a better word - savvy enough to be using 7Gen products.



Comments
I agree!
Posted by TheirMom | Tue, Sep. 16, 2008

I thought it was me that I could not find the reply button on here. YES! A way to talk to one another in a more direct way!

Thank You
Posted by Chris | Wed, Sep. 24, 2008

This is very timely. We're meeting internally at Seventh Generation trying to figure just this kind of thing out! Please use this space to send us even more suggestions. It's your community -- please let us know how we can make it better for you.

I think there's some tension
Posted by GreenOne | Wed, Sep. 24, 2008

I think there's some tension - between a robust online community and a more tempered online community - that should exist with respect to a company operating in the "green" space. The online world is, after all, not the real world. It's not where the actual issues take place - global warming, non-toxic cleaning, and other environmentally friendly lifestyle choices.

Admittedly, the online space is not the best space for one to find health solutions - in fact, spending too much time online is deleterious to one's health; it takes one away from engaging in the environment by spending time outdoors and pursuing healthier alternatives.

The online space stimulates short-term thinking, not the longer-term thinking that one engages in by reclining back and reading a book. Long-term thinking, too, is what is needed to solve the environmental challenges facing the country - they're too complex to tackle in simple terms.

So when you think of developing an online community, I think it necessarily must operate with a view towards pushing the consumer offline - to the product, to community activities in the real world, to engaging in the environment - not spending time online. To the extent expanded community features facilitate this, then I think that's good.